Balalaika!

Description

Violin 1, Violin 2, Violin 3, Viola, Cello, Contrabass, Piano — Good music played well inspires the imagination. The balalaika is a triangular- shaped stringed instrument, essentially a three-string guitar used by Russian peasants for centuries. They come in various sizes and sometimes combine to form balalaika orchestras. Their music is often lively dance music, but sometimes a balalaika ballad can be hauntingly beautiful, such as “Lara’s Theme” from the classic film Doctor Zhivago. This arrangement of Balalaika! is in the lively dance- style based on original tunes but peppered with references to Tchaikovsky. A Balalaika is a type of Russian folk stringed instrument. They come in a variety of sizes and can have full orchestras of these instruments. The music they play has a distinctly Russian folk music sound and composer James Meredith has worked to present this style in a modern concert piece. The work is a festive dance-like piece and contains quotes throughout of Tchaikovsky themes in order to help give it that Russian flavor. Balalaika is a different and refreshing choice for your next concert.

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